Having never had the opportunity to visit Otakon, I’ve never really known what to expect from the convention. After seeing what gijinka were showcased this year, I’ve come to the conclusion that this blog is hurting itself by not visiting there. Take a look below for some of the most spectacular examples of gijinka ever fabricated.

Honchkrow & Emboar (C) Champions of Cosplay

Honchkrow Gijinka (C) Zinkyufox

Kyurem Gijinka (C) Dramaya

(L to R gijinka) Absol, Flygon, Latios and Latias (C) Solstis

Houndoom Gijinka w/ half goatee (C) ~Y0-Mama

Chinchou (C) Gogorowboat

Darumakka! (C) Champions of Cosplay

This was only a fraction of the incredible gijinka costumes made and worn at Otakon 2011. The level of dedication, creativity and hard work is astounding. The costumes are authentic, they use good fabric, they have great patterns, and they’re so elaborate. This is what I always hoped and dreamed I would see develop in the gijinka community. I can only hope to match this level of quality and commitment in my own gijinka projects.

To the makers of any and all gijinka costumes at Otakon this year, my hat is off to you. Congrats and thank you for keeping the gijinka fandom going.

Hey gijinka fans and loyal readers, one of my friends and interviewees is selling one of her incredible gijinka cosplays. Yuffie_Suzume, who I interviewed about her Flygon and Entei costumes, is selling her Meganium gijinka. She actually posted photos of this costume after I had done the interview so I didn’t get to post any here on this blog. Hit the bump for more info and pics Continue reading →

At last, the moment you all have been waiting for, my favorite gijinka at MegaCon (that I was able to see):

Throh (Nageki Jp.). This guy, whoever he is, had some serious guts to not only dress up as a pokemon, but he also picked one with a generally unpopular character design among fans. Throh is from Black and White so he’s not too popular except to those really into the series (yes, “me”, I know). But this cosplayer brought a lot to the table.

1st MegaCon ever and I walked away impressed. Yesterday I traveled south to Orlando to visit the Orange County Convention Center where the largest anime, sci-fi, all-around-nerdtastic convention in Florida takes place. My girlfriend and I left at 5AM to get to Orlando by 7 (per the advice of a friend). We waited in line very briefly for the tickets but they didn’t open the doors until 10AM. A lot of people stood in line to get into the main convention hall, but we aren’t saps! We waited til the doors were open and then people flushed in like a corral of bulls. Panels, exhibits, comic artists and writers, and oh the costuming NERDS!

This is the first time I’ve seen anything like this. On a whole bunch of the live-stream websites right now like justin.tv and ustream.tv, this group is pulling a massive marathon. They’re already near hour 70 and they’ve raised almost $12,000 for the ALS Association. Hopefully you’ll see more of these kinds of events taking place especially with the release Black & White. Perhaps you’ll see more game marathons trying to reach out for aid and assistance to Japan following the earthquake.

Check out the speedgamers website for the weekend playthrough. Here’s a link to their channel on Justin.tv

In about a few hours, Nintendo is going to have its massive launch party at the Rockefeller Center. Last November they converted their regular Nintendo shop into a fully-stocked “Pokemon Center.” I can’t imagine how crowded it’s going to be there with all the screaming little kids and The Presidents of the United States playing. That’s right. You remember alternative rock band, PotUSA? Famous for hits like “Peaches” and “Kitty.”

(C) The Boston Phoenix

Nintendo tapped them to write a song similar to the PokéRap. I can assure that it is no less embarrassing, but hey, a gig is a gig.

How does it compare to its critically-acclaimed predecessor? I’ll let you be the judge.

I’m sure the event will be a huge hit for Nintendo. Whether it snags this new generation of gamers they’ve been trying to reach with Pokemon Black & White remains to be seen. I think these games truly are timeless. They have their old fans and new ones always come along. Even if they don’t stick around forever like yours truly.

There’s this incredible video of the poor people dressed in the Pokemon mascot costumes doing some really funny dancing. Tepig’s got this pop and lock thing going. Oshawott’s all bouncy and an attention-whore. And Smugleaf’s all like “I’m too cool for this.” The video comes from the big launch party in London which apparently was a huge hit.